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Tag: Armstrong spring creek

Montana Fishing Report 06/24/11

Posted on by Eric Adams

Well at least the weather has been getting better in Montana, we don’t feel like we guiding in Alaska any more (no more wearing rain jackets every day). However, fishing is very inconsistent. One day it’s good the next not so much. We had the McCord’s from Houston Texas up for the last several days and we’ve seen both mediocre and great conditions.

Day one was on DePuy spring creek which was good but the fish were extra picky, mostly due to a light PMD hatch (and the afternoon hail storm). Day two was one of the best dry fly days in recent years on Armstrong spring creek as the PMDs poured off the stream from about 9 am until 2 pm. Meredith caught this taped 18″ on a No Hackle dry at about 1 pm and it gave us a beautiful fight. That evening we ran up to the Missouri River and after Watching the Fly Fishing Film Festival in Craig, Montana we spent today working hard to boat about a dozen fish. The fish up here are spotty mostly due to the 20,000+ cfs of water they are releasing from the dam. It’s not that the fish aren’t used to big water, it’s that they, like some kind of stability. When the boys at the dam keep upping the flows every day the trout aren’t super happy. Regardless the fish can be caught and when the dozen or so fish you land average about 16″ and extra fat the day still seems like a better day than you could spend working in an office
Well, that’s all for now, but we’ll post some more reports again soon seeing as it’s full on go time for fishing.

– somewhere near the water via iPad

SW Montana Fishing Report – 04/27/11

Posted on by Eric Adams
Montana Fly Fishing Lodges MRR Slide 1

Our fishing…

A fishing guide bitching about the weather – that’s strange…  Today has us sidelined with 50 mph winds, so we are catching up on some blogging and paperwork.  We did manage to get out yesterday afternoon for a bit on the Yellowstone River.  Fishing was fair at best.  The bright sunny skies had the baetis and midges holding tight and the hatch was light at best.  We did however find a number of trout stacked in the foam holes.  Until the hatches of baetis, March Browns and Mother’s Day Caddis hatches really start rolling that’s where we suggest you concentrate your time.

Our best technique is still shallow nymphing between 2 and 4 feet with small nymphs.

The Highlights:

Yellowstone River:
It’s all weather dependent right now, with some warmer weather and increased water temperatures we’ll start to see stronger baetis hatches and the March Browns.  Obviously, the word on every anglers mind is Caddis.  The Mother’s Day Caddis is nearing its emergence date.  The key is to keep your eye on the water temperatures – 52 to 54 degrees is the key the start of the major emergency.  Currently, there are a sighting of March Browns on the lower river toward Big Timber.  Caddis have also been sighted on the lower river and up river near Pine Creek.

Spring Creeks (Armstrong, DePuy, Nelson):
Midges and baetis have been very good on the cloudy days especially when the breeze is light.  Take advantage while you can with the early season discounted rates until June 14th.

Madison River:
The Lower Madison River is off color from Ennis Lake and Cherry Creek spilling in off colored water.  There are baetis, midges and caddis are right around the corner.  The trout aren’t consistently keying on the dry flies so it’s a nymphing and stream thing right now.  The streamer fishing, dragging a Bow River Buggers and small baetis nymphs dropped below are the best ticket right now.  Look for the fishing to pick up with the increased hatch activity.

Missouri River:
The Missouri is much like the rest of the waters around the state, inconsistent.  The nymphing is getting better, but the water is still higher than normal for this time of the year – 7,140 cfs (2,000 cfs higher than normal). Nymphing is a daily puzzle between flies and water depth – seems it’s between sow bugs and bright flies or baetis and midges.  The streamer guys are hit and miss, but a few nice fish are a pretty sweet day, right?

Got any good fishing reports from the area? Then make sure to leave a comment and let us know.

Armstrong’s Spring Creek Fishing Report – 06/13/10

Posted on by Eric Adams
Montana Fly Fishing Tripschoose All Inclusive Inset

Summary:
Armstrong spring creek fished very well yesterday as midges and PMDs were hatching.  It’s pretty rare to have the entire creek to yourself, but that’s exactly what we had – bonus! Fortunately the weather and fish were both in a cooperative mood.

Hatches:
There was a solid midge hatch in the morning and then PMDs around 10 am, which have just started to trickle off.  Look for those PMDs to really start going by this coming weekend.

Best Technique:
Nymphing with small emergers and nymphs was most productive, but they did see a few trout sipping Pale Morning Duns in the flats.  Their nymph rig was about 2.5 to 3 feet long with a small Palsa Pinch-on for a strike indicator.

Weather & Water Conditions:
Weather was one of the prettiest days of the year so far – 60 degrees, sunny and light winds from the West.  As always with the spring creeks the water was in pristine condition.

Best Bugs:
The Zebra midge in a size 18-20 was most productive, unweighted Pheasant Tails and PMD Splitcase Nymphs in size 14-16, and PMD CDC emergers size 12-14.

Armstrong Spring Creek Report 04/23/10

Posted on by Eric Adams
Montana Fly Fishing Tripschoose All Inclusive Inset

Summary:
On Friday we guided on Armstrong’s spring creek.  The predicted overcast and rainy was typical Montana weather, by that we mean completely opposite.  It was a bit tough, as the hatch never got really going, but we managed to catch several nice rainbows on the nymphs.

Best Technique:
Our only real option was to nymph based on the conditions.  We concentrated on deeper holes and the tailouts of pools with very small indicators and baetis and midge patterns dropped about 2.5 – 3 feet below.

Weather & Water Conditions:
Fifty-five degrees, bright sun & a 10-15 mph west wind.  The water was gin clear, as always and low as the weed growth hasn’t started too strongly yet.

Hatches:
Light midge hatch throughout the day and light baetis hatch around 2pm.

Best Bugs:
Our best nymph was a Micro-Mayfly Baetis sz 20 and Brown-Olive Surface Emerger size 20-22.  The best midges were BH Zebra Midge & Miracle Midge both in sz 20.

ENTIRE RANGE

BOULDER RIVER

We describe our Boulder River fly fishing trips as half fishing half raft trip – in other words exciting fly fishing.

While your guide expertly rows the raft through class I, II & III rapids you’ll be hitting the pocket water in this fast paced fly fishing adventure. The Boulder River is a Blue Ribbon trout stream with quality rainbow and brown trout. This may be one of the best dry fly small streams in all of Montana. It has unusual purity giving it a unique clarity and beauty. Fly fishing the Boulder River depends on water levels and is typically floatable between late July and early August.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE BOULDER RIVER

  • Jan
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  • June
  • July
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GALLATIN RIVER

The Gallatin River, near Bozeman Montana is small in size, which to many means little fish, but not so on this hidden gem.

This is a classic small Montana stream with shallow riffles leading to long runs and deep pools with undercut banks. Typically this is a hunting ground for large brown and rainbow trout using streamers and large crawfish patterns. We typically float the Gallatin River in a raft or drift boat due to the many braids and channels – it’s a long day of fishing, but it can be very rewarding for those anglers looking for that 20+ inch trout.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE GALLATIN RIVER

  • Jan
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MADISON RIVER

Want a famed Madison River fishing trip?

The Madison River originates in Yellowstone National Park and flows nearly 150 miles before joining the headwaters of the Missouri river. The Madison river fishing is divided into the upper stretch and lower stretch each of which seems to be completely different waters. Both the Upper Madison and Lower Madison are some of Montana’s premier wild trout rivers and it has been classified as a “Blue Ribbon” trout stream. Every foot of the river is capable of producing rainbow and brown trout eager to rise to a dry fly, grab a drifting nymph or a swinging streamer.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE MADISON RIVER

  • Jan
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  • Apr
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • Aug
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MISSOURI RIVER

Missouri River Fly Fishing

Join Us for a Missouri River Fishing Trip

A Missouri River fishing trip is a truly unbelievable home for trout below Holter Lake through the town of Craig and downstream to Cascade, Montana. It boasted the highest trout population in the state of Montana in 2012 with over 8,000 fish per mile and 20′′ fish are common. Obviously, chances of having a good day while Missouri River fishing are high. Not only are the fish numerous, but like most tailwaters the Missouri river is abundant in aquatic bug life, making for exceptional sight and dry fly fishing. We offer this trip only during the best fishing time of the year which is from April until early July and then again in late September into November.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE MISSOURI RIVER

  • Jan
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  • June
  • July
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SMITH RIVER

Smith River fly fishing trips can be summed up in almost one word – secluded.

Our Smith River fly fishing trips take place on the upper section of the Smith River, between its origin and above the Smith River Fly Fishing Access Site, flows through gently rolling prairie, flanked by the tall peaks of the Big Belt Mountains and Little Belt Mountains. It is beautiful country, with sweeping wide­ open vistas and incredible views. Other than the small town of White Sulphur Springs, the area is also very remote. Agricultural fields surround the river in this section, with extensive brush along its bank. A number of pools are also found on this stretch. Generally, the Smith River flows at a slow to moderate pace in this section, depending on water levels.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE SMITH RIVER

  • Jan
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  • Apr
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  • June
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SPRING CREEKS

The Paradise Valley Spring Creeks of Armstrong, DePuy and Nelson should be on every angler’s wish list.

These world famous creeks are a sight fishing wonderland – with consistent hatches of midges, baetis, Pale Morning Duns, and Sulphur’s anglers can test their skills against wary trout. Dry fly fishing, sight-nymphing and reach casts on 6X are useful tools to have in your angling arsenal, but don’t worry if you need a little more practice our guides will teach you these techniques and make you a better angler after just one day! Please make sure to plan ahead as these private locations have limited availability and in prime season reservations can book up to a year in advance.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE SPRING CREEKS

  • Jan
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STILLWATER RIVER

Don’t let the name fool you, our Stillwater River fishing trips take place on a wild and fast flowing river.

The beautiful Stillwater River begins in the Absaroka ­Beartooth Wilderness and flows north toward the town of Columbus, Montana where fishing access sites are good. Typically fishing this stream starts by mid July and August via rafts, but good wade fishing can also be had in the early spring with very good mayfly hatches starting around early March. This is definitely a dry fly fishing river and fishing this pocket water stream with a big hopper or stonefly pattern can be awesome.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE STILLWATER RIVER

  • Jan
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TROPHY LAKES

If you’re looking for trophy lake fly fishing trips then you need to check out a couple of the private trophy waters in the Livingston area.

They offer outstanding stillwater fly fishing for rainbows, browns and cutthroat trout. Fly fishing on these trophy lakes is more intense than most anglers realize. Stalking large trout and sight casting to gulpers can give even the most experienced angler the casting jitters. These trophy lakes have prolific hatches of damselflies, Callibaetis mayflies, midges and terrestrials. These lakes are also the ideal starting point for both beginner anglers and those younger anglers looking to bend the rod for the first time.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE TROPHY LAKES

  • Jan
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YELLOWSTONE RIVER

This is a classic western river and should be on every angler’s life list

Our Yellowstone River fishing trips include guiding on over 120 miles of blue ribbon trout water starting at Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone River is our home water and one of the great fly fishing trout streams of the world. It is the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states, and there is excellent trout water from its tributaries high inside Yellowstone Park, downstream through Gardiner, the Paradise Valley, Livingston, and on to well below Big Timber – a stretch of nearly 150 river miles. We float many different stretches of the prime water between Gardiner and Big Timber, depending on the Yellowstone River fly fishing conditions and water levels.

BEST TIME TO FISH THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER

  • Jan
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  • May
  • June
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Fly Fishing in Yellowstone National Park

Our Nation’s first National Park offers some of the most famous fly fishing waters in the country. Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek, Lamar River, Yellowstone River and many other small streams are all within driving distance of Livingston, Montana. Our Yellowstone Park fly fishing guides have detailed knowledge of the waters in Yellowstone National Park and have spent decades learning these waters. They are pleased to show you some secrets to catching more trout in this amazing environment.

BEST TIME TO FISH YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

  • Jan
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